Chris Staniszewski
09/11/09
Personal Expertise Statement When someone becomes really specialized at anything, it is important for him/her to realize that knowledge of their field is not something that will ever be developed, but something that will always be developing.The second someone feels that they have learned all they can in any area, and consider themselves the upmost expert in the field, is the same moment they begin to slip.I’m not stating this as a shot to knock any mounted riders off their high horses, only to prove a point; expertise requires a continued desire to learn and better oneself.It is not merely climbing a mountain; it’s also looking for the next peak to aim for.That being said, I would say my personal area of expertise would have to be rooted in music. Music is different in everybody’s life, for some its simply there to ward off the silence on the way to work, for others it consumes their whole lives.Some people are so musically minded, that while analyzing that same song on the way to work, they’ll end up in a fender bender because they were so focused on what they were hearing as opposed to what they were seeing.Now, I’ve never got in any accidents because of what was coming out of my speakers, but nonetheless it happens.One of my former music teachers said it was almost a curse because he can’t go to a concert without noticing the backup vocal being just slightly flat, rather than just listening to the song as a whole.All this being said, I have no idea why I decided to pursue music. It’s no good to deaf people, and there are starving kids in Africa that I could be feeding or homeless people in New Orleans who could really use a carpenter’s hand.However, I am no carpenter, I am a musician.I suppose I believe art is also a cornerstone of a society; it is what they pass down the generations and years in the end.And as far as art goes, music is interesting because it has two elements.It can be recorded as a document, a physical thing that will never be changed, and also performed live, something that is simply an experience and will disappear into the fabric of time.A painter may create the most awe inspiring picture, and I’m not taking anything away from that, but there is no way of him recreating that live.That may be the most interesting part to me.Whatever the case may be, I chose music. As silly as it sounds, my interest in music probably is rooted somewhere in fifth grade when my friend Mark showed me this band blink-182 and I instantly loved it.Before that point, I had listened to whatever was on the radio, what other people thought I should listen to.From then on, I decided to go find music for myself, and haven’t listened to the radio much since.That began my experience as a listener; I first became a player also around that time when I picked up the trumpet.However, the trumpet was not my instrument, and I eventually put down that horn and picked up the bass guitar.The two of us were like a couple on their honeymoon, and I would pick up the bass any chance I got.I started playing in a pop punk band with two of my friends while I was in high school, and have been playing in bands ever since.Not long after discovering bass, I started shooting off in all sorts of musical directions.I wanted to learn different genres of music and different instruments to play them on.I started learning to “walk” the bass and playing jazz, while also learning guitar (guitar was the next logical choice; I mean how much harder could two more strings be?)I eventually took a music theory class in high school, and I am thankful for that every day.My teacher was incredible, and his performance in that class was truly a credit to the Coventry school system. He made everything so simple and straightforward that I was almost forced to learn it. After learning theory, I began teaching myself piano and doing vocal work. Unfortunately, there haven’t been any more instruments added to my repertoire, but I will eventually pick up the trumpet again and begin to learn others. I have continued working on all of these areas of music, as well as adding new ones along the way.As with anything else, music is not a process that will be finished one day, but an ongoing one that will be a part of my life until the day I die.
09/11/09
Personal Expertise Statement
When someone becomes really specialized at anything, it is important for him/her to realize that knowledge of their field is not something that will ever be developed, but something that will always be developing. The second someone feels that they have learned all they can in any area, and consider themselves the upmost expert in the field, is the same moment they begin to slip. I’m not stating this as a shot to knock any mounted riders off their high horses, only to prove a point; expertise requires a continued desire to learn and better oneself. It is not merely climbing a mountain; it’s also looking for the next peak to aim for. That being said, I would say my personal area of expertise would have to be rooted in music.
Music is different in everybody’s life, for some its simply there to ward off the silence on the way to work, for others it consumes their whole lives. Some people are so musically minded, that while analyzing that same song on the way to work, they’ll end up in a fender bender because they were so focused on what they were hearing as opposed to what they were seeing. Now, I’ve never got in any accidents because of what was coming out of my speakers, but nonetheless it happens. One of my former music teachers said it was almost a curse because he can’t go to a concert without noticing the backup vocal being just slightly flat, rather than just listening to the song as a whole. All this being said, I have no idea why I decided to pursue music. It’s no good to deaf people, and there are starving kids in Africa that I could be feeding or homeless people in New Orleans who could really use a carpenter’s hand. However, I am no carpenter, I am a musician. I suppose I believe art is also a cornerstone of a society; it is what they pass down the generations and years in the end. And as far as art goes, music is interesting because it has two elements. It can be recorded as a document, a physical thing that will never be changed, and also performed live, something that is simply an experience and will disappear into the fabric of time. A painter may create the most awe inspiring picture, and I’m not taking anything away from that, but there is no way of him recreating that live. That may be the most interesting part to me. Whatever the case may be, I chose music.
As silly as it sounds, my interest in music probably is rooted somewhere in fifth grade when my friend Mark showed me this band blink-182 and I instantly loved it. Before that point, I had listened to whatever was on the radio, what other people thought I should listen to. From then on, I decided to go find music for myself, and haven’t listened to the radio much since. That began my experience as a listener; I first became a player also around that time when I picked up the trumpet. However, the trumpet was not my instrument, and I eventually put down that horn and picked up the bass guitar. The two of us were like a couple on their honeymoon, and I would pick up the bass any chance I got. I started playing in a pop punk band with two of my friends while I was in high school, and have been playing in bands ever since. Not long after discovering bass, I started shooting off in all sorts of musical directions. I wanted to learn different genres of music and different instruments to play them on. I started learning to “walk” the bass and playing jazz, while also learning guitar (guitar was the next logical choice; I mean how much harder could two more strings be?) I eventually took a music theory class in high school, and I am thankful for that every day. My teacher was incredible, and his performance in that class was truly a credit to the Coventry school system. He made everything so simple and straightforward that I was almost forced to learn it. After learning theory, I began teaching myself piano and doing vocal work. Unfortunately, there haven’t been any more instruments added to my repertoire, but I will eventually pick up the trumpet again and begin to learn others. I have continued working on all of these areas of music, as well as adding new ones along the way. As with anything else, music is not a process that will be finished one day, but an ongoing one that will be a part of my life until the day I die.